Venharice's Royal Garden

"You ready, Rezvan?"

Amdarais asked me before he created the Magical Gate toward Venharice's Royal Garden.

Vaeral next to me seems prepared with it.

"Does your sister already know this?"

Vaeral suddenly asked.

"About what?"

I asked him again.

"About your identity as a Magician."

"No, they don't know. They don't need to know either."

"If Amdarais' is the one who wants your Magician identity to keep secret from your sister, you should not listen to him. He's picky when it comes to building a relationship with anyone."

"You're right about that."

"Hey, why did you bring me all of a sudden?!"

Amdarais looks annoyed.

"It's' not about Amdarais trust anyway… My sister is still young, and their life would be difficult if they kept this secret. I just want them to have a stable and normal life."

I contemplated for a while.

Before I went back to Amdarais's Clock Tower, I met my sister and told them I had my duty to pretend to do online food delivery, so they thought I was on safe work.

Since the Venharice's Royal Garden time would be different than the earth, I have enough time to finish my matter there as I go home on time later.

"Ah, I thought you want your sister to have an 'Eternal Peace.'"

Vaerals laughed with his own joke.

"Stop talking that nonsense!"

Amdarais and I replied to it together with annoyed tones.

"Geez… Amdarais open the gate. I'm ready."

I asked Amdarais hurriedly after a long exhale.

Amdarais hurriedly create the Magical Gate in front of Vaeral and me since he doesn't want to listen to Vaeral spouting nonsense anymore.

Without any words, the Magical Gate emerges its blue aura.

The blue aura feels like engulfing us entirely when we walk through it.

The sound of rain and lightning flash welcomed us as the blue aura diminished.

Looking around, there's a vast garden enclosed by a white stone wall carved with a traditional dragon with no wings.

The Dark Elves and Halflings troops also carved beneath the dragon.

"Is there any meaning on that, Vaeral?"

I asked while pointing to the dragon carving on the stone wall.

"It's the dragon of wisdom. In the past, when Venharice educated the Dark Elves and the Halflings for learning magic spells like a pure Magician, the dragon of wisdom is our principle and foundation. Don't compare it with the Dragon that Dark Elves usually ride on, though, because they are different from the dragon of wisdom."

Vaeral explained while walking along with me toward the Royal Garden.

Surprisingly, there's no gate or fence to enter the Royal Garden.

The stone floor we had passed was a bit slippery because of the rain, but it was still safe to walk on it.

Before we reached the entrance, I quickly stopped.

"What's the matter?"

Vaeral asked curiously.

"Let's activate the magic barrier first before we go in."

I clenched my palm and then placed it in my chest, letting the Soul's Spirit emerge to prepare the Magical Barrier.

"Oh… you're right. Almost forgot about that."

Vaeral does precisely the same as me to increase his concentration.

"Lord… how many years you're being lazy like a pig in the Ice Palace, huh? It's a basic thing when you are prepared to fight. Damn, you're embarrassing."

Amdarais release its vexation on Vaeral.

Probably Amdarais just want to find one little reason to mock Vaeral.

Silly friends mostly do that.

"Silence, Skull Maggots. It's far better than being useless all the time and relying on Rezvan like a tantrum baby."

Vaeral mocks with pride.

They both staring each other menacingly like they want to fight again endlessly.

Man, these two Magician is giving me a headache all the time.

I closed my mind and ignored them.

With my left eye closed by the eye patch, I can feel the incomplete Ice Seal blocking my way to reach the Fire Magic Spell.

Despite my limitation, I can entirely utilize the Soul's Spirit, so it's not too difficult for me to keep moving.

As the Soul's Spirit resonates with my heart, I cast the magic Barrier on my body.

"Their downfall is not eliminating you.

It is you who remains intact in the deep of destruction.

Your being who is always along with the universe.

Come to me, Soul's Spirit."

I cast the Magic Barrier together with Vaeral.

The blue aura of the Soul's Spirit emerges from our body, creating an almost invisible blue magical barrier covering us.

We continued inside the royal garden as we thought the Magical Barrier was firmed.

Looking from afar, the royal garden is ridiculously vast.

Many decent wooden houses on the south edge are cracked and filled with house debris.

It feels like those decent houses were invaded outside the garden.

"It looks messy, eh?"

Amdarais chirped while looking at the decent houses that almost crumbled.

"There's no way… who's dare to attack this royal garden…?"

Vaeral questioning the houses' destruction.

"I thought you knew that, Vaeral. Isn't from Yinleth's family?"

I suspect it.

But Vaeral's not nodding.

His face went pale in anger and fear simultaneously.

"No… Yinleth might be opposite to Venharice, but they're not the clan that would go that far for crushing our cultural place."

"Then, it's the Dorberos family. They do not care about any Dark Elves' beliefs. Besides, they're moved to separate you and Soliana from Venharice and Yinleth so they could utilize 'the Ice Queen' for free raw material gemstones. It's simple as that."

Amdarais expecting firmly.

"Yes… those bastard… "

Vaeral clenched his fist because of the anger.

He gritted his teeth while mumbling his regret about his past decision.

I look around to the east, west, and north edge, and there's also a decent wood house that almost collapsed.

It had the same condition as the decent houses on the south edge.

In the center of the garden, there's a vast pond with clear water.

I don't see anything in the pond except a stone roof floating in the middle of it.

"Even the great hall of Venharice is destroyed until it sinks to the pond… That bastard is crossing the line…."

I heard Vaeral mumbling furiously when looking at the pond.

Look at the Royal Garden, which already collapsed like this; it's understandable for Vaeral to become angry.

However, I'm starting to doubt if our main objective to come here is still relevant.

"So… look at this mess, is the book of water knowledge still in here?"

I asked Vaeral softly.

"There's a clue. I can feel it."

Vaeral looks at the middle pond.

He continues his walk near the pond to reach that position.

Unfortunately, there's no bridge to reach that middle pond.

Before I ask the question, there's the sound of a step from the floating pieces of roof building on the middle pond.

The stepping sound becomes more apparent under the raindrops until it finally reveals the old Dark Elf covered with a purple robe.

The old Dark Elf stared at Vaeral with a surprised face.

But it was just a moment; he returned to his sorrowful expression.

"Father! It's me! Vaeral!"

Vaeral knows exactly the old Dark Elf.

He shouted loudly, calling the old Dark Elf while wavering his hand.

However, the Old Dark Elf is not responding.

He sits on one side of the floating pieces of roof building without a word.

It seems he is waiting for us to face him properly.

"Rezvan, hold my hand!"

"Wait, what?"

Vaeral held my hand without hesitation.

He concentrated for a few seconds, then cast the Water Magic Spell.

"There's none to seize

On the airless world

The flow is your path

Stream, O Water Realm!"

The Soul's Spirit emerges once again.

After my Soul's Spirit resonates with Vaeral's Soul's Spirit, it creates the blue aura now becomes thicker on my foot.

"We'll walk to face my father, Sundamar Venharice. He was my and Amdarais' teacher when we studied Water Magic Spell."

Vaeral explained it to me while walking slowly into the pond.

I was surprised when Vaeral could step on the water surface at the pond.

He pulled me because I doubted I could do that without Water Magic Spell.

"Don't worry! You can do it as long as you keep your Soul's Spirit resonates with me!"

Vaeral pulled me again.

I started to believe it and then brave myself to walk at the pond.

It surprisingly works.

Vaeral and I could walk on the water surface of the pond.

The Water Magic Spell is such a miracle.

Regardless, my attention gradually diverts to the Old Dark Elf still waiting for our incoming.

I can sense deep sorrow on his sad face.

I thought he would be happy to finally meet his son again after being separated because of stupid love.

On second thought, looking at the collapse of wooden houses inside the Royal Garden, I think there's a tragedy that brutally happened to the Venharice family.

I'm happy to see Vaeral become spirited to face his father passionately.

But I'm afraid Vaeral needs to be strong to face the tragedy beyond this mess.